Current wire bonding packages provide for a heat sink that is disposed, i.e., “dropped in,” against a die paddle of the lead frame. In such a package there is no adhesion between the die paddle and the heat sink. However, the molding compound cannot penetrate the area between the die paddle and the heat sink in this configuration. The lack of molding compound in this area increases the thermal resistance of the package and creates internal stresses within the package due to expansion forces in the area between the die paddle and the heat sink. In addition, as the die size and die paddle size increase, these expansion forces create even more internal stress within the package. The constant exposure to these internal stresses can eventually cause delamination, which can lead to failure of the device.
It is within this context that the embodiments described below arise.